Built to Last: How Traditional Materials and Design Strengthen Climate Resilience
The harsh reality of climate change is that it’s no longer a brooding storm on the horizon—we’re in it. The points of no return have come and gone, and now we’re left with the consequences. That’s not meant to sound fatalistic, just honest.
So, while we absolutely need to keep pushing for climate mitigation, cutting emissions and slowing the damage, we also need to brace for what’s already here. That means designing for climate adaptation: figuring out how we live with the changes that are underway.
Storms are stronger, power grids are more fragile, insurance rates are soaring.
In this new era of volatility, how we build matters more than ever.
At Wise Cities, we believe many of the answers are already hiding in plain sight -in the materials and buildings we’ve trusted for centuries.
Traditional and natural building materials like brick, stone, wood offer huge advantages that modern construction often overlooks or is attempting to replicate.
Where today’s buildings rely heavily on mechanical systems such as forced air, electric pumps, constant heating and cooling, traditional materials offer passive resilience. They do the work quietly, without the need for constant energy input.
Despite the different context we live in now, climate change is once again pushing us toward simple, passive systems -buildings that can keep people safe and comfortable for long periods without power, just like they did in the 19th century.
Different challenges, perhaps but in many ways, similar needs.
A heavily glazed glass tower can lose heat dangerously fast during a winter blackout or become unbearably hot in the summer. Mechanical ventilation and climate control aren’t luxuries anymore—they’re survival systems. And when the power goes out, these buildings quickly become unlivable.
From a design perspective, we can learn from our past as well. Modern glass towers that reach high into the sky are enormously vulnerable during power outages and extreme weather. By contrast, traditional mid-rise buildings -four to seven stories tall - are shaded by the tree canopy, naturally ventilated, and easily navigated. Climbing down 50 flights of stairs during a blackout or heatwave isn’t just inconvenient, it’s dangerous.
By contrast, a brick apartment building, a thick stone church, or a solid timber-framed home can stay safe, stable, and habitable through extended disruptions. Thick walls buffer temperature swings and protect from flying debris. Heavy roofs withstand high winds and heavy rains.
We’ve seen plenty of reminders across Ontario in the past decade:
Summer rainstorms that flood subways and cut off power
Winter ice storms that leave thousands without electricity for weeks
Sudden heatwaves that strain our energy systems to the brink
In every case, our buildings either protect us—or expose our vulnerability.
A resilient building can carry you through a crisis. A vulnerable one leaves you reliant on systems that may fail just when you need them most.
At Wise Cities, we know that true resilience doesn’t always come from high-tech innovations or expensive gadgets. Sometimes, it comes from remembering what already works.
That’s why we focus on:
Conserving and adapting historic buildings to meet modern needs
Encouraging the use of durable, natural materials in new construction
Designing with nature, instead of fighting against it
By blending time-tested wisdom with modern ideas, we can build communities that are not just beautiful and meaningful but ready for the realities of a changing climate.
The future will be shaped by how well we remember what we already know. Brick, stone, and wood weren’t chosen for style. They were chosen because they worked and they still do.
As we face the storms ahead, we’d be wise to turn to them again.
